The Issues

Economic Freedom

Progressive Democrats Suddenly Fine With Regressive Sales, Payroll Taxes

A piece of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s tax package has survived after all, but only the part that increases the sales tax base to collect about $1 billion or so...

Stephen D. Haner
February 20, 2024

Minimum Wages, Paid Leave, Vendor Preferences Lead Surviving 2024 Progressive Agenda Items

The aggressive progressive agenda working its way through the 2024 General Assembly has lost some steam at the halfway point, but at least four of the major Democratic goals discussed...

Stephen D. Haner
February 15, 2024

Virginia’s Tax Code: An Analog System in a Digital World

To many, testifying before a government  committee conjures visions of the drama surrounding the McCarthy, Watergate, or Zuckerberg hearings. In Virginia, not so much. Faced with processing more than 2,600 bills in 60 days,...

Christian Braunlich
February 12, 2024

Two Big Tax Hikes Still Alive at Assembly, But Governor’s Tax Cut Package Has Failed

Governor Glenn Youngkin’s package of proposed tax changes is now stalled in both the Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates. A House subcommittee spiked it Feb. 5 and then dashed...

Stephen D. Haner
February 7, 2024

Rent Control, Collective Bargaining, Class Action Lawsuits, Virginia’s Business Climate in the Crosshairs

The Democrats now running Virginia’s General Assembly are not just more progressive, but far more ambitious than their predecessors. To fully understand how ambitious you must compile the entire list of...

Stephen D. Haner
January 31, 2024

Index Minimum Wage? Do the Tax Code, Too

One bill that certainly is heading for Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk is the increase in the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour as of two years from now. Both...

Stephen D. Haner
January 23, 2024

Don’t Let Partisanship Stop Serious Tax Reform

The American linguist Yogi Berra once said of a New York City restaurant: “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” Overcrowding, however, isn’t what motivates a move to a state (or from a...

Christian Braunlich
January 22, 2024

Gov. Youngkin’s tax plan will unleash opportunity

*This article originally appeared on CardinalNews.org With the Virginia General Assembly now in session, the grappling over Gov. Youngkin’s “Unleashing Opportunity” tax plan has begun. Already, opponents are attacking it as...

Derrick A. Max
January 17, 2024

Governor Youngkin Joins the “No Car Tax” Movement

During Governor Glenn Youngkin’s budget submission to the General Assembly, he called for the elimination of the single most hated tax in the Commonwealth — the car tax. He is...

Derrick A. Max
January 11, 2024

Jefferson Forum concentrates on policies that affect everyday life in Virginia

Economic Freedom

Lower taxes and fewer regulations

Education Freedom

More choices for Virginia families

Energy Freedom

Reliable, affordable energy

Worker Freedom

Protecting Virginia’s right-to-work tradition

These are the building blocks of a more competitive and prosperous Virginia.